Category: Blog
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The Chinese NAT test
It might come as a surprise to some but not to others, and some might even censure me for not doing this sooner, but I finally took a COVID test, also known as a nucleic acid test, or NAT for short. The result? Negative. Why did I finally go in for a test? Work told…
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Back to work with contract #4
It might seem odd to most people to number their contracts but it’s a fact of life for a lot of expats, particularly those in the ESL field. We’re not given multi-year or endless contractual terms, we’re typically only given annual contracts. As such, every year there is a chance for the company to review…
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Some thoughts on learning Mandarin Chinese
While going through some old posts I came across the post I wrote almost two years ago in which I declared my intent to improve my Mandarin Chinese. That post, published on December 9th, 2018, stated that I would try to achieve the level of HSK 4 or 5 within a year and was inspired…
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A change in food scene
For the all hubbub over the trade war between China and the United States, I can’t help but see more foreign companies making their way into China. In particular, the food scene has changed quite a bit in the short six years that I’ve been in this country and in Beijing. Tims (AKA Tim Hortons),…